UCL Global Business School for Health appoints three new Deputy Directors

At UCL GBSH, we are proud to announce the appointment of three new deputy directors: Dr Adam Dubis, Associate Professor and Programme Lead for the MSc Digital Health and Entrepreneurship, as Deputy Director of Research; Dr Julie Davies, Director of the MBA Health, as Deputy Director of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI); and Dr Marzena Nieroda, Lecturer in Marketing and Commercialisation, as Deputy Director of Partnerships and Enterprise.

We spoke with each of them to understand more about the roles, their aspirations, and how they aim to implement the impacts they want to have.

Dr Adam Dubis, Deputy Director of Research

Speaking more on his role as Deputy Director of Research and his goals, Dr Dubis explains, “The aspiration is to teach research in a practical way within the school’s curriculum by bringing in people that have successfully done this. So, not just have students learning about the theory of research, but having actual practical research skills being built into the curriculum and presented to the students through guest speakers.

“We have a focus to teach them research skills so they can evaluate the market and business space they are in. The information in class isn’t the last thing we give them; they’ll have learnt skills enabling them to evolve and be successful for the rest of their careers.”

Dr Marzena Nieroda, Deputy Director of Partnerships and Enterprise

Dr Marzena Nieroda shares similar aspirations, wanting to ensure students receive exposure to external guests and industry: “I want to ensure all of the programmes are developed with the support of the industry. Industry engagement is very important for students, academic staff, and GBSH. I am a strong believer in academia working together with industry, and making education truly meaningful. When it comes to teaching, it can sometimes be too easy to focus too much on academic frameworks and not pay enough attention to the reality that students will face after graduating.”

Dr Nieroda will be implementing this in her role as Deputy Director of Partnerships and Enterprise. Elaborating on her role within the school, Dr Nieroda explains, “I will be trying to build, develop, and maintain partnerships, particularly with external stakeholders to build and strengthen the opportunity for innovation, commercial collaboration, and investment. This will involve finding partnerships for different programmes where industry partners can support the learning process for our students.”

Professor Julie Davies, Deputy Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

Ensuring that business schools reflect the real-world is also an important aspect of the Deputy Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion role, to which Professor Julie Davies, also Director of the MBA health, has been appointed to.

“My role involves developing and implementing the EDI agenda for the School which includes preparing and submitting our first application for Athena SWAN accreditation. There are many debates about decolonising the business school curriculum, avoiding reading lists full of male professors from the West, and ensuring cases studies feature female CEOs. So, it’s about embedding EDI into the curriculum and learning community and integrating EDI initiatives with those of the other deputy directors in GBSH.”

Diversity, equality, and inclusion is an important focus point for UCL GBSH; UCL itself was the first university in England to admit students from any religion and social background and the first to admit women students on equal terms with men. 

In particular, we offer a number of scholarships aimed at minority groups; the Roche MBA Health Scholarship to support a student from a low-income background that identifies as female and/or is from a Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic background, and the Women Healthcare Leaders Scholarship for female students who demonstrate leadership potential.

Professor Davies’ previous work makes her an incredibly valuable addition to the roster of deputy directors, especially within the scope of EDI: “My research interests include gender equality in business schools, particularly gaps between men and women faculty in delivering on the impact agenda. I recently analysed Financial Times MBA rankings, which show that women faculty and students are significantly under-represented,” explains Professor Davies. “I have also co-authored publications on ethnic minority micro-entrepreneurs. Currently, with colleagues in Aston and Essex Universities and the Open University, I am working on a national survey in the UK on early pregnancy endings in the workplace.”

As we inch closer to welcoming our first cohorts in September 2022, we are excited to see what Dr Dubis, Dr Davies, and Dr Nieroda will bring to these roles and the invaluable experiences they will provide our new students. 

Find out more about the UCL GBSH team